The bloody conflict in the Kingdom of Westeros comes to life in the first screens of A Game of Thrones: Genesis, the real-time strategy game based on acclaimed fantasy author George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire saga.

French developer Cyanide Studio revealed its plan to develop games based on Martin's beloved works back in 2009, and now that plan bears its first fruit. A Game of Thrones: Genesis is a real-time strategy game that chronicles 1,000 years of history in the Kingdom of Westeros, the key setting for the Song of Fire and Ice saga.

With a bloody civil war raging for control of Westeros, the menace of the mysterious Others rising in the north, and the threat of dragons from the east, a real-time strategy PC game seems like the most efficient and effective way for Martin's tale to play out.

It'll be much more than simply building an army more powerful than your opponent, however. Martin himself oversaw the development of the game's single-player game, insuring that economic warfare, diplomacy, and dirty tricks played just as important a role in the game as basic combat. Those diverse elements carry over into multiplayer as well, with up to eight rival players struggling for control of the Iron Throne.

Fans interested in keeping up with the game's development can visit the A Game of Thrones: Genesis website and sign up for the newsletter. Otherwise the game is expected to hit this summer on the PC from developer Cyanide and Focus Home Interactive.